January 22, 2019: Descend the escalator and enter the exhibit hall to the world’s largest multidisciplinary photonics event. Taking just a few steps past the entrance, PI’s booth displays the latest state-of-the-art precision motion technologies. PI engineers are on-hand to answer questions and propose solutions for precision motion projects in industry, research, and science.
High-Speed Precision Automation: Hybrid Gantries / Linear Motors / Air Bearings / Piezo Flexures
PI’s new hybrid gantry has a unique, space saving guide design. The bridge axis is equipped with an air bearing guide that allows exact control of velocity as well as outstanding repeatability and straightness, while reducing particle emission over the work area considerably.
New linear motor stages, specifically developed for industrial automation help photonics and laser processing engineers design better performing motion systems. New Piezo flexure-guided linear positioners offer excellent precision and responsiveness with step and settle typically in the millisecond range with billions of cycles of service life. Cost-effective and small footprint options are available for easy integration into applications such as image scanning, overlay, fast autofocus, interferometry, and super-resolution microscopy. Air bearings with linear motor drives provide another option when long travel vibration-free motion is required, highly constant velocity control is crucial, together with angular repeatability and geometric performance.
Miniaturization – Finger-Tip Sized Positioners
The ongoing miniaturization of instruments requires opto-mechanical alignment, positioning, and assembly on a smaller scale. Direct drive piezo motors that are only a few millimeters in size enable ultra-compact positioning stages. Finger-tip sized linear and rotary stages are standard, but much smaller custom designs are feasible. Single to 6-axis designs are available. Resolutions from microns to nanometers are standard.
